Conners, the former Kent State golfer who
already has a win in
2015 under his belt at the Lake Macquarie
Amateur in
Australia, will be playing in his first Azalea
Invitational.

Also prepping their game for The
Masters is 2014 U.S.
Mid-Amateur winner Scott Harvey of Greensboro,
North Carolina.
Harvey, 36, knocked off Brad Nurski at
Saucon
Valley to earn his
first trip to The Masters. He has claimed two
victories already in
2015, including
the South American
Amateur and
the rain-shortened Gasparilla
Invitational.

Harvey tied for 31st in the 2014 event and
was
runner-up to 2013
champion Austin Langdale a year before.

Langdale, now a sophomore
at
Clemson
University,
will be in the field looking for his second
Azalea
title. The South
Carolina native defeated Harvey by two shots
in
the 2013 event.
Langdale will join four of his Clemson Tiger
teammates at the
Country
Club of Charleston, including juniors Cody
Proveaux, Miller Capps,
and
Blake Kennedy, as well as senior Billy
Kennerly.

Langdale finished outside of the top-40 in his
attempt to repeat in
2014.

The top junior golfer in the field is
another Canadian, Austin
Connelly. Connelly captured the Jones Cup
Invitational in
February in a playoff
over Kyle Jones of Baylor. The win earned him
an exemption into
the PGA Tour's
2015 McGladrey Classic, the first time such an
exemption has
been granted by the
tournament. Connelly found himself in a
playoff
in the 2014 Jones
Cup, as well,
where he lost to fellow Canadian Conners.

This will be Connelly's first Azalea Invitational.

Other notable players in the field include two
former USGA champions, like four-time
U.S. Mid-Amateur winner Nathan Smith and
2013 Mid-Amateur champion Mike
McCoy. The 2014 Senior Azalea winner Brady
Exber of Las Vegas earned an
invitation to the event, especially considering
his
incredible 2014 season where he
snagged victories at the British Amateur and
Stocker Cup, among others.

The 72-hole event will begin Thursday at The
Country Club of Charleston and wrap up
on Sunday after a 54-hole cut. The previous
two
years have been cut short by rain
so here's to hoping the weather remains
cooperative for the 67th running of the
tournament.

Defending champion Will Murphy is not in this year's
field;
his South Carolina team was invited to
compete
in the Valspar Intercollegiate
at
Floridian this week, and has another event
next
week.

72 hole stroke play with a 54 hole cut on a
1925
Seth Raynor design. Good mix of college
players
and mid amateurs. 7 spots available in a
qualifier.
Impressive list of past champions at this
traditional event. The Country Club of
Charleston
underwent a major renovation in 2006 (the
tournament took at one year hiatus) and was
ready for play for the 2007 Azalea.